The Gaucho, Amigo

Polanco, 570 Throckmorton St, Fort Worth. 817-720-3300. 3pm-10pm Sun, 5pm-10pm Mon-Thu, 3pm-midnight Fri-Sat.

Inspired by an upscale neighborhood in Mexico City, Polanco not only borrows its name but delivers similar glitz and glam to downtown. This new Mexican restaurant that quietly opened its doors recently is a place to see and be seen unlike any other establishment in town. Don’t laugh, but one of the most stunning parts is the restroom, offering a panoramic view of downtown. As with the dining room, customer service shines here, too. An attendant opens the doors and turns on the water faucets for you. There’s also a full-length mirror nearby that stays busy with selfies. Because if there isn’t photographic evidence, did you really visit Polanco?

After a couple flights of stairs, the restaurant sitting above street level utilizes a minimalist approach to design, incorporating the marbled and bare concrete walls of the space’s brutalist architecture. With brown leather and woodgrain accents throughout and modern chandeliers high above, Polanco’s simplicity works well for this environment. In fact, having an entire glass wall facing downtown that electrifies at night is enough eye candy or, as the crutch-word influencers lean on, “vibes.”

The bar faces a partially open kitchen, where a team works to put out items from an enticing menu while bartenders work to keep up with the demand of cocktails. Low-top tables in the lounge are available for walk-ins or those waiting to be seated, and the bar itself rolls on a first-come basis. The signature cocktails are creative, fun, and stylish and all priced at $18, while margaritas fluctuate within a dollar either way.

Craving a piña colada, which regularly courses through my veins, I opted for the cinnamon-rimmed Ajusco, with coconut rum, Giffard coconut liqueur, and Horchata mix. Add an espresso shot for $3 to achieve that caffeinated ecstasy. The house margarita was served by a blinged-out French bulldog figurine holding a smoking caldron with a glass containing the simple combination of Patrón Cristalino tequila, watermelon liqueur, and jalapeno syrup. La Catrina was another Instagrammable gimmick, but gimmicks sell. Delivered in a ceramic skull, this marg was equally as simple, with mezcal, strawberry, and hibiscus, and when this concoction was poured into the mug, smoke rose, which was spooktacular enough for us to order two because drinking from a smoking skull feels right. Or slightly demented.

The appetizers are divided into cold and hot, and due to the steamy summer weather, the chilled options were inevitable. Offering nothing but seafood, ranging from tuna and shrimp to seabass to octopus, the kitchen served everything fresh with accoutrements like boba and fried curled potatoes or cucumbers, plus a healthy mix of avocado, cilantro, and onions. The ceviche, served with various sauces and homemade baked tostadas, hit us with zest right where it counts. After that, my guest and I gave in to the hot side and ordered the aguachile carnívoro: tender carved meat split with sliced avocados and radish, nestled next to arugula and truffle oil. The Parmesan cheese, queso fresco, crushed spicy chips, cilantro, and morita mayo of the fuego esquite made a bold statement that Polanco’s street corn is on another level. Other hots include a chicharron ribeye and crisped pork belly with macha sauce, serrano pepper, and fried cilantro.

We ordered tacos, as it would feel sacrilegious otherwise, and selected the Vaquero, even though cowboys and saltwater aren’t usually allied. However, this seafood rodeo had octopus and fried shrimp in corn tortillas reinforced with Oaxaca cheese crust and dazzled with grilled onions along with macha and verde sauces. Other tacos feature filet and sirloin, and Polanco’s pastor stars pork, chorizo, grilled pineapple, and grilled onions.

Enchiladas are also listed under the taco tab, so we went for the catch again, choosing the mar y fuego, or fiery shrimp. Oaxaca cheese, reforma sauce, queso fresco, and Mexican crema provided splendid company to the fried crustaceans. Vegetarian options are also available.

Onward to the portion of the menu from the ocean, and that’s where we landed with Róbalo Aztlán, Polanco’s tantalizing seabass dish, with roasted corn, chambray onion, and peppery arugula, accentuated with spicy, tangy Aztec sauce. Each bite through the crispy outer layer to the soft meat beneath was a blast of pleasure.

Taking a recommendation from our server, we moved on to the high-quality meats. Our Filete Castelar was cooked to request, and the covering bigote sauce brought an earthy spiciness to it, introducing new flavors to the table.

The menu is as provocative as the restaurant itself. With plenty to enjoy and shareables that can pass as entrees, Polanco can make for a budget-friendly meal. Stay tuned for their next move, a speakeasy.

Polanco
Ceviche $25
Aguachile carnívoro $25
Tacos Vaquero $29
Enchiladas mar y fuego $27
Róbalo Aztlán $47
Filete Castelar $37